


The Valentine Pact

by MaxBetta



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Valentine's Day, sansan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-16 01:06:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13625325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxBetta/pseuds/MaxBetta





	1. February 14th, 2002

It was a chilly afternoon at Garfield High School, cold enough to require a thick jacket and gloves. Seattle wasn’t known for its warm weather, of course, so this was no surprise, especially in mid-February. It had been over an hour since school had let out for the day, so the halls inside were empty. Most of the year, cliques would be spread out among the grassy areas. One could easily spot the popular girls, the potheads, the goth kids and so on. But not today, the weather wouldn’t allow for it.  The only students outside at the moment were the full roster of the varsity football team, practicing for the state championship, their last big game of the season.

 

Sandor Clegane was star quarterback of the Bulldogs. His solid frame assured nobody could move him, and his long legs gave him the upper hand when it came to running. He could cover the same distance with one long stride that most guys covered in three. He had played football every year that he attended Garfield High, and this year was his last.  Being a Senior and a well renowned athlete, this meant scouts were making appearances from time to time.  Every college across the state of Washington, and even some further than that, wanted him on their team. He didn’t let it get to his head, though.  He remained calm and collected, keeping his attention on the action taking place on the field and ignoring whomever was watching him from the bleachers. Today, however, he couldn’t help but look at the petite redhead sitting up in the metal bleachers, head in her hands. She was shaking, but he was sure it wasn’t from the cold.  She looked upset. Normally when it came to emotional situations, Sandor would turn the other way, but something about her intrigued him.  Coach announced that they would take a short break from practice, so it was the perfect opportunity to meet the young lady and see what was wrong.

 

Sansa Stark wanted to be invisible. It was halfway through her freshman year of high school, and things were a disaster.  She was bullied on a daily basis, by both girls and boys. They ridiculed her looks, everything from her red hair to her fair skin and, of course, her freckles. Classmates would point at her and laugh, making remarks about her pale complexion or calling her “ginger.” Every day was misery, and she was sick of it.  She only had one friend, just one out of 800 students, but they only had one class together, so most of the time she was alone. She was alone now, but this time it was by choice. Today had been too much. Too many cruel jokes and too many harsh words.  Sansa couldn’t take it anymore, so she ran out of the building.  She didn’t have any place in particular she was headed toward, she just had to get away. After a few moments she found herself at the top of the football stadium. She made her way down the rows of seats about halfway, sat down, and then the tears came.  She had managed to stay strong and hold it together in front of her tormentors, but once she was safely away from them, she let herself go and began to sob. She had sat there for quite some time, crying herself into a puddle, when she heard footsteps and looked up, only to see the star of the football team, Sandor Clegane, heading straight for her.

 

Sandor pulled the white towel from the waist of his uniform and handed it to her. “Here, take this.”

 

Sansa managed to squeak out a , “thanks” between sniffles.

 

“Bad day?”

 

“Yes, something like that.”

 

“Need me to beat someone to a pulp?”

 

Sansa managed a faint laugh. “Tempting, but...no.”

 

“May I sit?”  Sansa nodded and scooted further down the bench, still wiping at her eyes with the white towel. Her face was slightly pink and a bit puffy from crying for so long. “I don’t want to pry, but you seem pretty upset, maybe if you talk about it you’ll feel better.”

 

Sansa took several deep breaths and began. “It’s just, I get bullied a lot. I only have one friend and we don’t see each other much. People pick on me all the time because of my hair and my pale skin and freckles and it’s just getting old. And on top of that, it’s Valentine’s Day, and I’m pretty sure I’m the only girl in this entire school without a boyfriend.”

 

Sandor released a brief chuckle, but stopped himself, not wanting her to misunderstand it as him laughing at her. “The bullying thing...I get it, it sucks.  Happened to me a lot, too. Because of my face...see?” He lifted up several strands of long black hair to reveal a large patch of scarred skin near his right eye. “I was in a car accident when I was a kid and I got burned. I used to get made fun of all the time. They’d call me “Scarface” or refer to me as a freak. Life was hell.”

 

“How did you get them to stop?”

 

“The Summer before my sophomore year I got really tall, and really heavy. First day of school a kid said something, can’t even remember what....all I know is, I smashed his face into his locker and gave him a wedgie so hard his underwear ripped.”

 

Sansa couldn't help but laugh at the imagery. “That’s not exactly an option for me, I’m afraid.”

 

“No, but maybe you could realize that they’re idiots. Your red hair is nice, and I happen to think freckles are cute on a girl.”

 

Sansa blushed. “Oh, thanks. But...you don’t have to say that.”

 

“I know.  I wanted to.” She finally smiled and he was glad to see it. She was way too young for him, and too sad at the moment, but he had to admit to himself that she was beautiful. “And about that boyfriend thing...most people find a date for Valentine’s Day and then the next day they’re single again. It’s just a stupid tradition. Just so they can say they were with someone, ya know?” Sansa nodded. “This may sound weird, but, if you were a bit older, I would have gladly gone on a date with you.”

 

Sansa smiled, eyes wide with surprise. “Really?”

 

“Sure. I’d take you to a nice dinner and a movie or something. I hear ‘Lord of the Rings’ is pretty good. Or maybe we’d go to a Justin Timberlake concert.  You probably love him, don’t you?”

 

“Yeah.  I mean, I guess.  He’s okay.”

 

Sandor was trying to make her feel better, and it was working. “Look, I know it’s hard feeling alone all the time, especially on a holiday like today. You’re so young, you’re going to get taller and...go through some other changes. In a couple years the boys will be all over you.”

 

Sansa scoffed. “Doubtful.”

 

“Okay, then, I’ll prove it.  How about we make a deal.”

 

“What kind of deal?” Sansa neatly folded the towel and it was now resting in her lap.

 

“Well, I guess it would be more of a pact. How old are you?”

 

“Fourteen.”

 

“Okay, you’re fourteen, and I’m eighteen. So let’s make a deal that if you don’t have a date for Valentine's Day the year that you’re 30, I’ll be your date.  I’ll do the flowers, the chocolates, the fancy dinner...the whole deal. What do you say?”

 

Sansa flashed him a suspicious smile. It was sweet of him to sit and talk with her until she felt better.  She knew this so-called pact was nonsense, but it was fun to think about, so she agreed. “Deal. Valentine’s Day when I’m 30 years old, we’ll be each other’s date.”

 

“I bet you’ll be married with six kids by then, you won’t even need me, you’ll see.” A loud whistle came from the football field. Sandor gave her a wink and stood. “I have to go, big game this weekend.  It was nice meeting you...wait, what’s your name?”

 

“Sansa. Sansa Stark.”

 

“Nice meeting you Sansa. I’m Sandor. Clegane. Bye for now.”

 

“Bye. Oh wait, your towel!” Sansa stood, balled up the towel, and threw it to him, eliciting rowdy cheers and laughter from his teammates.

 

That was the first and last time she saw Sandor Clegane.


	2. February 9th, 2018

Sansa was finally home from work. It had been one hell of a long day, full of emergencies and surgeries, but at least it was Friday, which meant she had the next two days to relax. Veterinary work had its drawbacks, but having nights off was definitely a bonus. She changed into a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt and put a frozen dinner in the microwave. As she stood there, leaning against the kitchen counter, waiting for her meal to cook, she couldn’t help but think about how much her life had changed. She went from being a pale and skinny shy girl in high school to being a grown woman with her own Veterinary practice. She had a great place in the city, one of Seattle’s best apartment buildings, and she had made quite a few friends over the years that she had become close with.  She was still single, though. That much hadn’t changed.  The holiday that every singleton dreads was coming up in just five days, and she would be spending it the same way she did last year, on the couch in her pajamas with a bottle of cabernet sauvignon and a box of chocolates she had bought herself.

 

At thirty years old, she was successful and generally happy, but life still felt empty in some way. She had never felt that connection with someone, that something special when you just know that you’re meant for each other. It seemed that most men didn’t understand her, or they were intimidated by her occupation. There had been a couple of relationships that looked promising at first, but eventually they fizzled. Sansa didn’t need anyone, she wanted someone, maybe that was the problem. Maybe men had to feel needed. She was pondering it over when she heard a “ding.” Time to eat. She looked at the microwave and saw that it was still running. Realizing it had been a notification from her phone, she walked across the kitchen and picked it up off the counter. Nothing could have prepared her for what she would see on the screen.

 


	3. February 14th, 2018

As soon as Sansa exited the cab, she opened her navy peacoat and began tugging downward at her dress. It was a bit shorter and fancier than what she would normally wear, but this was a special occasion, so it was the perfect excuse to wear it. It was a black lace cocktail dress, short with a plunging neckline, and there was a nude satin lining underneath, making it look like she was showing more skin than she actually was. Sandor hadn’t seen her since she was a young teenager, and she thought it would be fun to show him how much she had grown since then.

 

She made her way into the door of the grey stone building and over to the hostess table. There was a sea of people by the front entrance, likely those who hadn’t made a reservation in advance, waiting an obscene amount of time for a table to open up.

 

“Hi, I’m meeting someone, I’m not sure if he’s here yet.  He’s…”

 

“Yes mam, we’ve been expecting you. Please follow me.”

 

Sansa hurried to catch up with the woman who had taken off almost instantly. “How did you know who I was?”

 

“We were told to watch for a beautiful woman with red hair and blue eyes at 7pm.”

 

“Oh, okay.” Sansa felt awkward, she wasn’t sure what to say to that. They walked all the way to the back of the building and then took a left down a short hallway that led to a frosted glass door.

 

“You’ll be in our private dining room this evening.  May I take your coat?”

 

“Please.  Thank you.  Is he in there?”

 

“Yes mam, he’s been in there for quite some time.” She leaned toward Sansa and spoke in a whispered voice, “I think he was nervous.”  She smiled and winked at Sansa, then opened the door.

 

Sansa was in awe of the sight before her.  There was a dark carved wood table with place settings for two that were across from one another. At the end of the table there was an enormous arrangement of dark purple tulips.  Next to the flowers was a big golden box of expensive chocolates. Most surprising, however, was the man who stood as she entered the room. Sandor had grown into quite the handsome man. He was rugged and masculine, but looked great in his charcoal grey suit. His hair was a bit shorter now.  His face looked the same, just with a few faint lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth. He was smiling wide. “Sansa, you look...incredible.”

 

The dress had worked. “Thank you.  You look great, too. It’s been, what, sixteen years?”

 

“Yeah, it has, hasn’t it. The years have been kind to you.  I just can’t get over how different you look.  I mean, you look like the same person, just...different. I’ll shut up now.”

 

Sansa chuckled. “I know what you mean, it’s okay.” Sandor approached her for a hug, and they held their embrace for several moments.  At one point she could feel him burying his nose in her hair and taking a whiff. When they finally parted, he pulled her chair back and they each sat down. “This is quite the fancy place you’ve chosen, I’ve never been here, but I’ve read the online reviews.”

 

“Yeah, well, you’re not an ordinary gir...woman, so I didn’t want to take you to an ordinary restaurant.”

 

“Aww, that’s sweet.  Given the popularity of this place, I’m surprised you were able to make a reservation for tonight on such short notice.”

 

“Oh, I made the reservation months ago.”

 

Sansa looked shocked as she unfolded her cloth napkin and placed it in her lap. “Oh?”

 

“Yeah. I’m sorry, is that weird?” He took a sip of his water.

 

“No, no, it’s fine, I’m just surprised to hear that you thought about it so far in advance.”

 

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it a lot longer than that, but I’ll save myself the embarrassment and keep the details to myself.” He reached into the bread basket and broke off a piece for each of them. 

 

There was an odd feeling of familiarity between them.  It had been over a decade since they had last seen or spoken to one another, yet it felt like it didn’t matter. It was as if the passing of time was irrelevant. They each ordered their meals, he chose the aged duck breast, she went with the grilled trout. Three hours and almost two bottles of wine later, they were all caught up on each other’s life events. The conversation had been so easy. He made her feel comfortable, like she could say anything and it would be alright. It was so delightfully strange, this was a person she barely knew, yet she had somehow formed a connection with him that was deeper than in any relationship she’d had in the past. How was that possible?

 

When their shared tiramisu was finished and they had both drank the last of their coffees, it had become time for them to leave. Sandor wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.

 

“Want to put your flowers and chocolate in my car for safekeeping and go for a walk?”

 

“Yes, I’d like that.” They made their way outside and did as he had suggested, then began their walk down the street toward Tashkent Park. Within a few minutes, they were there. The park was empty except for the two of them. It was dark, and the paved pathways glistened in the moonlight thanks to rainfall from earlier in the day. They stood next to the large statue of several birds and a child playing a flute, each observing, trying to figure out what it meant. After a few minutes they resumed walking, eventually settling down on a wooden bench, the only one they could find that was dry.

 

The bench was large, but Sansa and Sandor sat closely to one another. He noticed that she was rubbing her hands together to keep them warm, so he took them in his. “It’s funny...we met sixteen years ago and we both sat on a bench, and here we are now, sitting on a bench.”

 

Sansa giggled, then grew serious. “I’ve thought about that day a lot, you know. Probably every day. Still, I wasn’t expecting this tonight. I thought you would have forgotten about me.”

 

Sandor pulled her hands to his mouth and gave them each a soft kiss. “Sansa Stark, I could never forget about you. You were so pretty, but so sad. And now here you are, this gorgeous woman, and I’m sitting next to you. It’s like a dream or something.”

 

“You’re pretty good looking yourself.” Sansa slowly leaned toward him and placed a slow kiss on his lips. He released her hands and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, letting her know with his mouth just how much she meant to him. After a minute or so, they took a break from kissing.  He kept his arm around her, and she leaned on his shoulder. 

 

Sansa finally understood what all the fuss was about. She had made her connection, the one she had longed for all these years.  She was in the presence of a man who cared for her, wasn’t intimidated by her success, and whose kisses made her feel like the most precious woman on Earth. She was trying to think up a way to break the silence when he spoke.

 

“Sansa...we should do this again sometime.”

 

“Sure. Next year if you’re still single and I’m still single, we can do this again.” He looked at her disapprovingly, and she cracked up laughing. “I’m only teasing. Yes, I’d like to do this again. Friday night perhaps?”

 

He sighed with relief. “Friday works for me.”

 

That night was the beginning of their “happily ever after.” They went on to spend every day, and every Valentine’s Day, together from then on.


End file.
